Today we take a look at Bandai's new 6-inch Thundercats Classics action figures. This new assortment marks the re-launch of the Thundercats Classics figures in a whole new smaller size to be in scale with Bandai's new animated series. The assortment so far consists of Lion-O and his arch nemesis Mumm-Ra.

When Bandai first announced that they would be transitioning their Thundercats Classics figures from 8” to 6”, the news was not met with very positive reaction by collectors which have already invested in the larger scale figures. While Bandai has mentioned that the 8” Classics figure will continue in some other capacity, it is unclear exactly when we may see a new release. So for now the new 6” figures will become the standard for all upcoming Thundercats Classics figures.

The packaging for the new Lion-O and Mumm-Ra is almost identical to the previous larger-scaled figures but a bit wider. The character art on the package is closer to the classic animation art from the 80’s this time around compared to the more contemporary illustrations on the 8” figures. The overall package design has a very classic feel to it thanks to the original Thundercats logo and the retro character art.

The new Lion-O figure is mostly a scaled down version of the 8” figure with the exception of a new growling head sculpt. The details on the Lion-O figure are sculpted very well and the head features a lot more detail in comparison to its larger counterpart. While the overall body sculpt consists mostly of a retooled body in a smaller scale, the articulation is not the same. The new Lion-O figure has a very limited range of movement at the torso and cannot be posed arching his back holding his sword aloft like the 8” version. The neck joint on Lion-O can only turn left and right unlike the larger version which has additional up and down movement due to an additional separate neck joint which is absent in the new figure.

The new Mumm-Ra figure is a great representation of his classic animated look and is much larger than Lion-O which is accurately proportioned with the look of the 80’s cartoon. Mumm-Ra features a much taller and wider frame and great sculpted details. Mumm-Ra has a good amount of articulation but not as much as Lion-O. While his knees and thighs have ample articulation, Mumm-Ra’s skirt limits the range of movement in the legs but not completely allowing some minimal movement for varying pose options. Mumm-Ra’s arms have plenty of articulation allowing the figure to be posed in many dynamic styles whether it is in the heat of battle with Thundercats or just casting a powerful spell.

The paint application on both Mumm-Ra and Lion-O is very clean but a little on the simple side in terms of shading. Bandai seems to be cutting a lot corners in terms of production by using pre-colored parts rather than blending or shading different hues like we are used to seeing in such toy lines like MOTUC. Regardless of the plain solid colors on the figures, the matte finish on the new Lion-O makes the figures look a lot better this time around.

While Lion-O includes a vast amount of accessories consisting of additional grasping hands, short and full sword of Omens and Thunder Claw with belt clip, Mumm-Ra only includes a pointless extra pair of grasping hands since his Sword of Plundarr is surprisingly not included. While it is understandable that Bandai had to cut back on the tooling for Mumm-Ra because of his larger proportions and fluttering bandages attachment, he should have at least included his dagger like the original LJN figure but not even that.

Dissapointingly, the endless complaints about the miscolored ankle and wrist joints on the 8" Lion-O seems to have fallen on deaf ears as Bandai has still not corrected the issue on the new 6" Lion-O figure.

The new 6” Thundercats figures have turned out to be much better than I expected. Regardless of the QC issues on the Lion-O and lack of accessories on Mumm-Ra, picking up this pair should be a no-brainer for Thundercats fans of all ages. 2012 marks a new year and the intruduction of this whole new scale for Bandai’s Thundercats Classics action figures and I can’t wait to see what other Thundercats will be joining this new 6” assortment in the near future. As you read this, the new spring assortment of Thundercats toys has begun to ship to brick and mortar stores nationwide and several of our sponsor sites for around $15 each so keep your eyes out for these in toy aisles. Keep it locked on Figures.com for our live Toy Fair coverage direct from New York in the coming weeks.